Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Home Office with New Built-In Bookcases

As you may know my hub works from home, so when we moved in to this house we immediately designated the formal living room as his office. It's the very first room you see when you walk in the door, so it was important to me that it not only function well for him but that it also look nice. Over the past few years of living in this house one thing that really stuck out as an issue in his office was the lack of storage. His working from home comes with lots of "stuff" - mailing supplies, notebooks, binders, brochures, paperwork.....and the list goes on. So as I mentioned back in the summer we contracted to have some floor to ceiling bookcases built to provide storage and to give the room some wow factor. And as most things go, one thing sort of led to another as the bookcases inspired me to hang grasscloth wallpaper, change the curtain panels and bring in some fun new artwork.

The furniture remains the same except for the office chair I bought him for Christmas last year but never showed you before now. The desk he bought on ebay years ago and gives you a glimpse into his personal design style. He's my mid century modern loving man.

These chairs were free. I still can't even believe it. He brought them home years ago (like before we even had children) from an office building that was closing and literally just throwing things away!

I added a gold lining to the lampshade with some acrylic craft paint. More on that later.

While the bookcases weren't a diy project, I did manage to hang the grasscloth wallpaper myself, and I'm still alive to tell the story. Honestly, hanging this wallpaper was easier than painting stripes. I'll give you a quick tutorial and some tips next week.

The velvet panels from Pottery Barn were a bit of a splurge but I did manage to couple a coupon with a sale. They are so much prettier in person!

If you've been around here for awhile then surely you've seen the old cigarette machine before. It belonged to my hubs grandfather. The cityscape artwork we already had. The hello languages poster print is from Made By Girl.

And the silhouettes aren't your typical silhouettes. You all know we're freaky Star Wars lovers. Well, I bought these from Concepcion Studios on Etsy. They were part of my anniversary gift to my hub.

I used gold metallic zebra print scrapbook paper for the matte which ties in to the zebra print rug (purchased at West Elm years ago).

Star Wars snarkiness is so us.

By far though, the biggest change to this room is the bookcases. They made the room look so much bigger, and they really do provide tons of much needed storage. All the ugly "stuff" is hidden inside the cabinets - including the printer!

At the hubs request, I styled the bookcases with books - lots and lots of books (most are old books from family)..........

and the bottom middle section is a bar area. He likes vintage bar ware, and I like collecting it for him. It's a win - win!

And I have to give a big shout out to Janette at The 2 Seasons who lives in Lexington and graciously gave me a tour of her beautiful home. She recommended the contractor who built these bookcases, as he's done lots of great work for her. He was great to work with, and I'm so grateful for the referral!

I'm smitten with this office Carmel! It has such an eclectic and interesting vibe going - kind of Mad Men-ish, you know? The bookcases are fantastic, and I'm amazed that you got those chairs for free! I would have paid money to put them in that room, because they're a perfect fit!

Totally loving the cigarette machine too. I don't remember seeing that before, and I love the history that goes with it. Gorgeous all around!!

My husband's office is on the redo list (someday) - definitely pinning this one for future inspiration. :-)

Eeekk! I don't know where to begin, Carmel. Simply stunning. You have styled the whole room so beautifully. I am sort of head over heels for the hardware and vintage bar area. Such pretty built ins and boy did they make a world of difference. Beautiful. {can't believe those chairs were free!!!!}

I can totally see this becoming a new trend- built in bookcases in the formal dining room-turned-office. It makes such a statement and the way you painted and styled them is gorgeous- not to mention functional. You have great taste Carmel. I love visiting your blog.

Yeah, you guys might just be the coolest couple ever! How chic and sophisticated is that room? Seriously gorgeous! The grasscloth wallpaper is amazing and it is fun to get a glimpse at how your two styles blend so well together. Well done girlie! :-)Vanessa

Seriously, when do you have time for all this? I can barely find enough time to paint samples on my wall, much less time to clean my house, feed my kids, or grocery shop! The room looks fabulous, though! And this is so classy! Great job! :)

This office is so beautiful. I love the builtins and mid-century modern furniture. It's great to see how you've incorporated your husband's style into the space so successfully. I actually really love the before picture as well. I especially really love that trunck and sideboard table. Maybe you've already blog about this, but where did you relocate those items? I'm new to your blog.

The trunk now sits at the end of our bed and provides great storage for out of season clothing. And that sideboard is now living in the guest bedroom. I haven't shown it in there on the blog yet. I will be very soon!

Oh Carmel, they are beeeyoutiful. Seriously - gorgeous. I love how you styled them, and the other changes to the office are fabulous. This feels like a real, grown up, custom, awesome office. Please don't ever let my husband see this room, thanks so much :)

Awesome set up Carmel! The office looks very cozy and bright. I wish I could also have the same home office, but unfortunately I have to go to office everyday in a 9 to 5 basis. Anyway, I think I'll show this to my boss because we are currently looking right now for a new place or a possible office for sale in Singapore. Great job Carmel! It's like working on an office, but in the comfort of your own home!

disclosure

Occasionally blog posts on Our Fifth House contain affiliate links. When purchasing through an affiliate link the buyer pays no extra, but Our Fifth House may receive a small commission. I only link to and recommend products/companies that I truly love.

Thanks for stopping by our fifth house. I welcome your comments! However, please be nice, or I'll tell your mom.